State wrestling: Joseph Prieto wins first Holy Family state title

Brother Julian takes second at 3A 132 pounds

Last season, he became the first Tigers wrestler ever to compete in a state championship match. Saturday night, the junior became the first to win one.

Tactical and precise, Prieto defeated Valley's Omar Sotelo 4-0 in the Class 3A 138-pound title match at the Pepsi Center, avenging a tech-fall loss to Jefferson's Aaron Cisneros in last season's 126-pound final.

"Last year kind of sucked losing in the finals, and I've been wanting to be a state champ since freshman year," he said. "Finally making that happen feels great."

After a scoreless first round, Prieto (38-4) got a takedown midway through the second to go up 2-0 then scored two more on a reversal early in the third. That was plenty to hold off Sotelo (36-10).

Prieto's twin brother, Julian, wasn't as fortunate in the 132-pound final, but represented well in a 6-5 loss to Dolores Huerta's Jared Mestas. At a tournament in Florence earlier this season, Mestas beat Prieto via a tech fall.

"I had wrestled that kid earlier in the year and he destroyed me," Julian Prieto said. "Last time, it just sort of snowballed out of control. This time I was prepared for what I was doing."

Mestas (39-1), also a state champion as a sophomore and a fourth-place finisher as a junior for the Scorpions, led Julian Prieto 4-2 after the first round and 6-4 after two. Prieto scored an escape point midway through the third, but a defensive Mestas wouldn't surrender a late takedown.

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For Julian Prieto, who finished third at 120 pounds last season, he can follow the blueprint set by his brother. Get to the championship one season, win it the next.

"Definitely," he said. "Next year I'll have to do better."

Joseph Prieto had to quickly shift his emotions after watching his brother's narrow loss moments before jumping on the mats himself.

"Actually, I feel like watching Julian's matches are one of my best warm-ups, whether he wins or loses," Joseph Prieto said. "I feel like watching him helps me."

The brothers live in Fort Lupton and commute to Holy Family, where they also play football. They swim for Brighton in the spring. The concept of being the first champion in a school that has been around nearly a century was uncanny to Joseph.

"Fort Lupton is a bigger wrestling school," he said. "They've had tons of champions and tons of placers. To be the first one (at Holy Family) feels great. It's great to see the wrestling program improving each year."

In addition for Holy Family, junior heavyweight Willy Clements finished the season 27-11 after losing a consolation quarterfinal bout 4-3 to Brush's Oscar Soto. A win in that match would have guaranteed Clements a placing spot.

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